Trolls One-Shots
by BlackArtWhiteVoice
Summary: Dreamworks Trolls One-Shots with NerdAlert and BlackArtWhiteVoice. Feel free to leave ideas in reviews!
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers! As you might have heard already NerdAlert and I are going to be making a series of one-shots for our story Tough Love. They can be read without reading that but I advise you to so everything makes more sense. All romantic One-Shots will be Broppy and any others will be familial ones. We accept requests however there I only write Broppy so sorry but if you want any other couples you'll need to ask NerdAlert if he is interested.


	2. Kangaroo Comfort

BAWV: Hey guys this is BlackArtWhiteVoice with the first in a series of One-shots for NerdAlert and my story Tough Love. If you guys have any ideas for future one shots feel free to drop them! Well for the moment that's all I've got so enjoy the story!

NA8910: It feels weird being on someone else's account, I've always been in my own domain. It's kinda itchy… is this how you felt coming on my account the first time?

BAWV: Yeah it's pretty much how it feels, you'll get use to it. Okay readers this one shot will be some point after the movies end. No specific time besides that.

Kangaroo Comfort

A muffled scream shattered the quiet night air, as was becoming normal as of late. Normal or not it didn't stop a pink blur from speeding into the room to scan for the threat to her child. Seeing nothing Poppy sighed in relief before turning and taking a seat next to her sobbing child. The instant her mother was properly seated Juniper latched onto her middle as she worked to get her breathing under control, aided by Poppy rubbing her back soothingly.

Once breathing regularly again Juniper whispered voice raw, "It was that dream again." Poppy's mouth twisted with worry, ever since the Trollstice disaster Juniper had been waking at all hours of the night screaming from fear. 'Not that I can blame her, it was terrifying for me not to mention what it must have been to her.' Poppy thought as she scooped up her silently shaking child and began their new tradition of pacing the Queen's pod until the trolling was calm once more.

On some night when it was especially bad Poppy would walk the trek to Branch's bunker because he was the only thing that would make Juniper feel better. Looking down at her daughter who hadn't calmed in the slightest from the rocking she had done it was going to be one of those nights. Poppy made sure to only have compassion in her voice as she questioned, "Do you want to go visit Daddy?" Juniper hesitated desperately wanting to feel safe but also not wanting to make her Mommy do a long trek just so she could feel better.

Poppy, seeing the indecision, chose for her. Moving toward the pod's entrance she wrapped a blanket snuggly around Juniper's small form and began the walk to her partner's bunker.

Branch could tell that Juniper wasn't feeling well lately and that wasn't only because they came to his bunker on some nights. She visibly had less energy and looked exhausted. He had been wracking his brain trying to find ways to solve this but was empty handed for the moment, causing him to be endlessly frustrated. This wasn't something he could physically fight but it was obviously hurting his daughter, he needed to find a solution now.

Usually he would be asleep at this time of night but he had woken up with a start for no apparent reason only that he had a feeling churning in his gut that something was wrong. 'Maybe I should go check on Poppy and Juniper. If nothing else that'll set my mind at ease.' His mind set, Branch moved towards the lift of his bunker only to freeze and tilt his head.

Hearing something from above he stealthily moved until he was right by one of his peep holes. Cautiously glancing out he breathed a sigh of relief. 'Apparently I won't need to go visit them, they've saved me the trouble.' With haste, Branch moved towards the door just as Poppy's voice rang out with her familiar calls of his name and her thunderous knocks.

Poppy danced in place as she waited for Branch to answer, it was cold out here and in her haste to get here she forgot to bring a coat for herself. Just as she was going to begin calling again the trap door opened and she was greeted with the delightful sight of a sleep tousled Branch. She didn't even have time to open her mouth to explain before he was pulling them both into his home. Once her feet were safely on the floor Branch immediately began dragging her to sit as he pulled blankets around her and Juniper.

Once seated she cut off his worried clucking, "Hey Branch! Juniper and I thought it'd be a nice night for a sleepover. Would you mind holding her while I go make some snacks?" Branch dumbstruck just shook his head and held out his arms for Juniper. After she was safely deposited in her father's arms she cuddled as close as she could and released a relieved sigh.

Branch moved smoothly to his couch without jostling his precious cargo as he sat down on the warn cushions. He stroked down Juniper's back soothingly as he mentally put his words together. Once Juniper's breathing was back to mostly normal with the occasional hiccup he began in a tender voice, "It's alright Junebug. Whatever it is that is scaring you just remember that I will protect you and your Mommy from anything and everything that tries to harm you. I pity anyone who thinks they can get through me to harm you."

Between the calm rocking motions and his lower voice Juniper was only barely staying awake through pure force of will. Seeing that his daughter was starting to drift off but was fighting it he gave her the final push.

Poppy was just finishing up making some tea and hot cocoa when she heard an odd sound from the other room. As she stepped out to investigate she felt her heart leap with joy and adoration, for there sat Branch gently rocking a now sleeping Juniper and that sound she had heard had been him humming lowly to her. His voice was just as nice in a hum as it was blasting out a song with her.

'I always knew his voice was soothing but this is amazing.' Poppy thought as she felt her boy melt in response to her soulmates lullaby. As Branch hummed the final notes he turned to see Poppy leaning against his kitchen doorway with a dazed lovestruck look in her eyes, and a tray of drinks for them. He smiled shyly as he shifted Juniper into a more comfortable position on his shoulder and used his now free arm to gesture for Poppy to come closer.

Obeying silently Poppy put the tray on the table in front of their legs and stood in front of Branch, waiting to see what was going on in his mind. She didn't have to wonder for long as he grabbed her hand and tugged lightly to guide her so she was sitting curled up on the side that wasn't occupied by their sleeping child. Poppy squirmed until she found her comfortable spot and then settled with a elated sigh, as an after thought she looped her arm around Juniper's back and tucking it back behind Branch's hip, making a sort of cradle for Juniper between her two parents.

They sat in a comfortable silence for what could have been minutes, hours, or days until Branch broke the silence with the conclusion they had both come to, "This can't continue, it's not healthy for anyone to not get sleep especially one as young as she is not to mention what this much fear could do to her mentally."

Poppy sighed forlornly as she nodded into his shoulder, she had been thinking the same thing but as of yet had not come up with a solution. "I know Branch, but for the life of me I can't think of anything we can do to help this. She has to be near one of us so she can sleep. We could just have her sleep in our beds at night but that doesn't cover her naps in the day or if you or i get called on urgent business, the thought of her waking up in the middle of the night scared with neither of us there makes my stomach roll."

Both parents sat in pensive silence as their minds worked double time trying to come up with any working idea. Poppy knew that walking around with Juniper helped to a certain degree but she couldn't carry her everywhere, her duties require dher arms. If only there was some way to carry her without using her arms…

Poppy's eyes snapped open as she jolted up with an idea. Only to quickly turn to check if her sudden movement woke the sleeping child. She sighed in relief when saw it in fact did not wake her. Branch was watching her with wide eyes as he whispered, "What was that about? You could've woken Juniper."

Poppy flinched a bit but pushed on in a hushed tone, "I have an idea that might work. Sometimes it helps when I carry Juniper and walk around the pod but obviously we cant do that all day because we need our hands. So what if we ask Chenille and Satin to make us a hoodie or two that has a pouch in the front or back to carry her? That way she will be with us and we can still work!"

Poppy gained momentum with her idea gaining more excitement as it turned over in her head. Branch smiled slightly as she also thought about the idea, 'There is no downside to that as long as it doesn't become a long lasting habit but we can worry about that later. For now it only has to help Juniper get sleep unhindered by nightmares.' Branch looked to Poppy with a smile and nodded his approval.

"That'll work perfectly! We just need to ask the fashion twins tomorrow if they can do a rush customer order. Do you think they'll mind?" Poppy chuckled at his inquiry, "Are you kidding? They have been looking for a reason to make you and Juniper clothes for awhile but I know you two aren't really comfortable being poked and prodded so I told them to hold off. This will be a dream come true for them."

Branch felt slightly shocked and deeply flattered at the knowledge that Poppy had taken his discomforts into account and kept her friends, their friends he supposed, from doing as they pleased. Seeing the gratitude in his eyes Poppy leaned forward to lay a kiss on his cheek to show she understood his gratitude and appreciated it in a silent You're Welcome.

As they both drifted off in their cuddle pile they both began making preparations and appointments for tomorrow to get the show on the road and hopefully solve Juniper's nightmare problem.

That morning saw Poppy and Branch walking towards the twins pod with little Juniper swinging from both of their hands in between them. Before Juniper had woken they had agreed that they were going to word it to the twins and Juniper as if the hoodie was more for a family outing kind of thing than for Juniper's nightmares. They didn't want her to feel self conscious or uncomfortable at all, this was to help her after all.

It took no time at all for them to be outside the twins pod and for Poppy to use her unoccupied hand to knock on the petal. The instant that they stopped in front of the pod Juniper shyly moved behind Branch, she may have met the twins but she still didn't know them well. Branch noticed but didn't mind, he squeezed Juniper's hand in reassurance knowing how it felt to be nervous around new people.

Thankfully it took the fashionistas no time to answer the door with a cheery, "Good Morning Queen Poppy!" No matter how many times she had told her friends that she was just Poppy the insisted on using her title as a show of respect for her. They never called King Peppy by just his name so they won't with her either. Poppy smiled back and returned the greeting with her own beaming grin.

As they were ushered inside Chenille inquired, "So what brings all of you by on this beautiful morning?" Poppy immediately jumped in to being explaining, "Well I was thinking that Branch and I would love it if we could take Juniper on more walks and hikes but they tend to be a long distance so she'd be tuckered out in no time at all. So we thought maybe you lady's could make us something that we could carry her with? Maybe a sweater with a pouch on it? Do you think that'd be possible? And maybe could you have it done as soon as possible? We have a nice evening planned but if not then we can move it a day or two."

Satin and Chenille both looked like Poppy had just given them what they had always wanted, their faces lit up as ideas visibly bounced back and forth. Satin spoke up first with an exuberant, "Of course we can do that! Oh sis that is going to be so adorable! What if we make it a mix of all of their colors? Oh and maybe some words too?"

As her sister began rambling off ideas at a mile a minute Chenille was practically vibrating in place as she reassured Poppy, "No worries we will have this done by the end of today! No need to cancel or move and plans it is now at the very top of our list of projects!" Juniper who up until this point had been quietly hiding behind Branch's legs shyly stepped forward and tugged on Poppy's dress.

Poppy knelt down to her level and tilted her ear so it was in easier reach as Juniper whispered into it. Branch and the twins watched as her face went from curious to thoughtful to beaming in less than a minute. Before anyone had the opportunity to ask what her idea was Juniper practically dove behind her Daddy again who instinctively shifted in front of her and wrapped his arm behind him for her to cling to.

The scene of course made all the women internally coo at the cuteness before shaking themselves back to the present. Poppy began to tell the twins her daughter's idea, "Juniper has an amazing idea! What if we make a set of clothes for the three of us and the hoodie? For example I have one that says His Sunshine while he has one that says Her Storm Cloud. And Juniper of course has one that says Our Little Rainbow. I think it's a great idea! And for the Hoodie maybe something like Precious Cargo? What do you two think?"

If the twins weren't exuberantly excited before they certainly were now. "Those are amazing ideas and we will start on them immediately! The set might take us a bit longer but we will focus on the hoodie since that's what you need the fastest. Can you come back in a few hours to pick it up?" Poppy smiled as she nodded, excited that everything was falling into place.

She glanced over at Branch to check his opinion only to hesitate at the look of mild discomfort on his face. 'Does he not like the idea of the matching set? It cant be the hoodie since we already discussed that. Well it's not exactly a masculine thing to wear…'

The family was gently rushed out of the pod after the awkward and uncomfortable process of getting measurement so the sisters could work faster. Poppy continued to worry about Branch so she decided to ask him once they were walking away from the village as to not draw attention.

It was a slightly nerve wrecking few minutes before they made it to the outskirts of the troll tree, when Poppy decided to ask about it quiet enough to not alert their happily skipping ahead daughter.

"Branch, are you okay? You were looking kind of uncomfortable back there. Was it something about the matching set of clothes? I know it's not really manly or anything but I thought it was cute." Poppy fretfully inquired.

Branch jerked at the sudden speech but at the sight of Poppy's worried face he quickly rushed to reassure her. "No! It's not like that at all. I'm just use to my vest so it's going to be uncomfortable to wear anything else for a bit. I'll get use to it and it'll be no big deal. Thank you for being conscious of my feelings though. I appreciate it more than i can find words for."

Poppy hesitantly let it go, not quite believing that was it but not willing to irritate him by pushing further. She took his hand as they walked, "For the record I think that you'll both look adorable in the hoodie or the shirts. You two fit together perfectly to make a beautiful picture."

Branch flushed warmly as he tugged on her hand so she was pulled right into his side. "You would say that wouldn't you? But it's not just me that fits with Juniper. You do as well. We all make a good picture I think." Poppy beamed as she rested her head on his shoulder, content to rest and watch their child bounce around ahead of them on their walk.

It was a few hours later that the family made their way back to the fashionista's pod. They didn't even get to the front pedal before it was opening and an excited Satin jumped out to greet them.

"Hey guys! You are just in time, come on we just finished the hoodie!" Poppy laughed as Satin linked their arms and dragged her inside, she looked over her shoulder and shot the two wary ones a reassuring smile. After a few seconds of hesitation they followed behind as the Pedal closed.

The pod was a mess of fabric scraps thrown everywhere, glitter (which Branch flinched at) sprinkled over every surface, and what looked like paint knocked over to the side. Poppy however wasnt paying attention to the state of the pod, instead she was focusing on the buncle wrapped in a white sheet waiting to be unveiled.

The twins positioned themselves on either side of it with ear to ear grins as they, with a flourish, pulled the sheet and allowing their audience to catch their first glimpse of the finished product.

Branch had been dreading this moment since he heard the twins start plotting excitedly. He just knew they were going to use this as an opportunity to embarrass him, the hoodie was probably going to be bright pink or some other fluorescent color with glitter falling off of it everywhere. He would wear it if it helped Juniper sleep but he could already feel his pride dying at the thought.

So as the twins pulled the sheet he was prepared for the worst however when the sheet fell and he saw the current cause of his worry he was astonished. For there was a, for the most part, regular hoodie and instead of having bright colors it was comprised of many different shades of green which all seemed to fade into one another beautifully.

And the best part was there was not a touch of glitter in sight! By the look of it, the hoodie was able to be worn so the pouch was on the front or the back depending on how you wanted to wear it.

As Branch felt relief pour through his veins he also felt curious, how did they know to make it like that? Or did they do it on accident? Deciding to ask to satisfy his curiosity he cleared his throat, "It's amazing girls, but why did you make it green? Don't get me wrong I like it but I figured you were going to go with more... bright colors."

The twins smiled as if they expected him to ask that and they moved so he was in between them. They both put an arm leaned on each of his shoulders as Chenille answered. "Originally we were going to just to mess with you a bit but Poppy specifically asked us not to because she didn't want you to be uncomfortable. Bummer, it would've been fun to see you in pink."

The last part had both the sisters giggling as they removed their arms, allowing Branch to turn and stare at Poppy who was smiling shyly at him. Not knowing how to word his gratitude he settled on squeezing her hand and settling back into her side. Poppy beamed with joy as they took their package and started to head out.

Juniper, now overly excited to try out the new thing, was jumping around them pleading to try it. Branch and Poppy shared a glance before shrugging, "May as well, now is as good a time as any after all." Poppy smiled at Branch as he unravelled the bundle and slid it over his head.

As he expected it felt odd to wear something that wasn't his vest but the fabric wasn't scratchy or uncomfortable so he would get use to it. He moved around experimentally and shifted the pouch so Juniper could fit in.

He glanced at Poppy who, understanding, moved and picked Juniper up to get her situated into her new spot. A few minutes of squirming later there was one happy child curled against her father's chest completely happy to stay in her spot until removed.

Branch felt relief after the pocket held just fine and she fit inside. He glanced at Poppy and smiled only to chuckle when the first thing she did was let out a quiet squeal and whip her camera out of her hair and start taking pictures at light speed. She knew not to show other people photos of him without his permission so he wasn't worried.

Once she had her fill of taking pictures they joined hands for the walk home. Poppy was flushed for the better part of it, mostly from finding the sight adorable but unknown to Branch the twins had pulled her to the side and explained that they had made the pouch adjustable so not only could Juniper fit in, later down the road whenever she and Branch had a child they could as well.

At the time Poppy had flushed darkly and rushed to explain that they weren't ready for parenthood yet but the twins had just grinned at her and simply replied, "Yet." Even now as she walked home a half hour later she still felt warm from the thought.

They arrived home and tucked Juniper into Poppy's bed. Branch left for his bunker, not before his good night to Poppy of course, she'd never let him out the door without it after all. As Poppy lay in bed with her daughter her mind drifted back to what the twins had mentioned, she went to sleep peacefully with the image of Branch wearing the carrier with a small trolling in it with brilliant blue skin, lavender hair, and her eyes.

BAWV: So what did you guys think? What was your favorite part? And final question do you think I should make another oneshot jumping off of this one? Let me know in the reviews!

NA8910: And don't forget to check out Tough Love on my account NerdAlert8910, Cyber High-Five!


	3. Helpess Hearts

Hey guys! This is BlackArtWhiteVoice here with another One-Shot! This one is also after the movie however has no connection to the previous one and instead of following Tough Love this one follows the movie as there is no Juniper. Depending on your guy's opinions I may make a sequel for it. So tell me what you think in a review and as always feel free to leave a review with ideas!

NerdAlert: I miss Juniper already.

BAWV: She'll be back in no time. This particular one shot just didn't have to do with her

NerdAlert: Well I'm sure it's filled to the brim with broppy!

BAWV: Most definitely. Always. Is there any other thing for it to be filled with?

NerdAlert: Hmmmmmm, meaningful story with a flowing plot well developed characters and good dialogue?

BAWV: Sounds like Broppy…

NerdAlert: Awesome then we're doing it right!

BAWV: Good. Could use more angst though...

NerdAlert: Always with the angst. We hope you all enjoy!

BAWV: Yup, remember to review with suggestions!

Booming thunder and a crack of lightning streaking across the inky sky is what awoke Poppy from her peaceful sleep. Blinking tiredly, she sought out what woke her so suddenly only to find the sound of a light rain hitting the outside of the former Princess now Queen's pod. Her mind slowly going through the process of waking up completely.

In a flash of movement Poppy was sitting ramrod straight and listening with perked ears for the awaited sound to confirm her hazy minds suspicions. After three minutes of silence the Queen of the trolls disappointedly laid back down to slip back into her sweet oblivion...CRACK! Only to immediately sit back up when the light rain outside of her pod turned into a torrential downpour.

A grin that covered the entirety of her face made it's appearance when the rain didn't immediately let up. Throwing her covers off and racing over to the window, she watched as waves of water washed down the window one after the other not appearing like they were going to stop anytime soon. In a trance like state Poppy watched as wave after wave of rain washed down her window.

As she watched the rain her mind drifted to a certain formerly grey, now her boyfriend, possible future King of the Trolls. The sudden thought of dancing in the rain with her beloved took root in her mind and refused to leave. Grinning madly, decision made, she gathered the necessary gear and after making sure she was well bundled, bounded out of her pod with her destination firmly in mind.

Branch knew there was going to be a big storm that night. As he lived underground he had to keep track of such things. He had already dug a series of smaller tunnels and divots around his bunker to lead all the water away and prevent flooding. He had a backup plan if that didn't work of course but he highly doubted he'd have to use it.

Not that there was really much left in his bunker that needed to be sheltered from water damage. After going to his old bunker to take stock of what was left from the over exuberant troll village's uninvited stay, he confirmed what he had already figured. His stock was supremely low and would need to be regathered over an unforeseeable amount of time.

Thankfully now that the Bergens were no longer trying to eat them, most of his weapons and traps were no longer needed, meaning he didn't have to carry the heavy metal on the return trip to the Troll Tree. There was only one thing in his bunker that couldn't be replaced which was why it was in the most secure room, in the most waterproof container, and under the best protection in his bunker.

Thanks to his quick thinking before he left to join Poppy on her journey not a single troll had found his stash of all the invitations Poppy had ever given him. Now safely tucked away at the heart of his new bunker. It seemed fitting that the deepest, safest, and driest part of his home was where his most prized possessions stayed.

He was broken out of his musing by a familiar pounding on the door, accompanied with an even more familiar sounding voice that had his ears perking up in equal parts delight and confusion. What would his sunshine be doing out in this kind of weather?.

"Branch! Hey Branch let me in! I've got something I want to show you!" Quickly moving toward the entrance to his new bunker he opened the door, Poppy was so proud when he actually put in a door instead of an eye slot and a trap door, and was welcomed to the sight of his girlfriend. Whom was dressed head to toe in warm clothes but still looking for all the world as if she had just jumped in a lake.

If she had walked from her pod to his bunker in this mess then that wasn't surprising, but that still left why she had braved the weather to come see him. Branch's thoughts drifted to different scenarios from something as simple as Poppy not wanting to be alone during the storm or just wanting to make sure he was okay and not getting flooded, to the extreme of the storm managed to injure someone but as she was smiling he figured it wasn't anything bad.

"BRANCH!" The impatient shout snapped him out of his thoughts only to realise he now had a soaking wet and mildly irritated girlfriend on his door step. "Were you listening to me at all?" asked an exasperated Poppy. Branch flushed a deep violet but stepped aside to allow her in as he retreated to get towels, throwing a short, "Sorry, I'll get some towels. Wait right there.", over his shoulder.

The door to his bunker made a loud slam against the howling winds outside. Poppy's violent flinch went unnoticed by Branch as he left the room to get some towels to dry her off with.

As she watched Branch's retreating back three things became startlingly clear to her.

1\. Besides helping him move his things from his old bunker to this new one she had never seen the inside of his home before.  
2\. This bunker looked more homey than the one he had lived in for 15 years and he hadn't even been living here a week.  
3\. Both his old and his new bunker had one thing in common that before she didn't notice, what with trying to recruit Branch for her journey to save her friends, and that is bunkers being underground naturally felt a lot smaller than pods.

The air felt thinner and it felt harder to breath down here. She was feeling a-starting-to-become-normal-feeling whenever she was in a cramped space.

Poppy doesn't remember when it first started but she does know what it originated from. The Trollstice that never happened. When they were all stuck in that pot expecting to be eaten she had felt like the walls were closing in. She had turned grey shortly after, but Branch had brought her out of it until Bridget had set them free so there had been no time to dwell on the feeling.

Ever since that day she had been having a problem. It was a recurring problem and it always happens under the same circumstances. Always in a small, enclosed area she would start to feel short of breath, light headed, and anxious. Like if she didn't get out to open air immediately she was going to suffocate.

As had become the norm lately she started to feel her head spin from lack of oxygen and she immediately started shakily backing toward the door, feeling that if she didn't leave in the next few minutes she'd never breathe again. Her hand rested on the doorknob and twisted only for Branch to choose that exact moment to come back in with a stack of towels.

"I think these should be enough but if they're not there are some emergency blankets that could work as a towel if it's needed…" Branch stopped his sentence when he looked up and saw Poppy, back to him, with her hand on the door handle looking like she was about to walk back into that torrent.

Thoroughly confused now, Branch deposited the towels on a nearby crate filled with not yet unpacked personal items and took a concerned step forward. "Poppy, what do you think you are doing?"

Poppy flinched when she heard him ask something that was relatively simple but she had no answer to. All the while all she could think was a constantly repeating stream of _**Gotta Get Out, Gotta Breath, Can't Let Him See Me Like This, Gotta Leave**_ like a broken record skipping in her head.

Poppy froze, unsure how to proceed. She didn't take her hand off the knob but she didn't turn it either. She still felt the overwhelming urge to run away from the enclosed walls and thin air but it seemed to be minutely smaller with Branch standing right in front of her looking concerned for her well being.

Even with the small comfort his presence brought she couldn't make herself relax or even turn to face him since that would require releasing the knob which was something that her steadily panicking mind refused to even consider.

Branch, sensing that something was wrong but not knowing what it was, slowly started to walk over to stand next to Poppy. He decided to try to talk to her again despite his first attempt being met by silence.

"Poppy, why are you leaving? You have to be able to hear that storm. It's not safe for you to go out right now. How you even got through it the first time without getting hit by lightning is an impressive stroke of luck. You can't seriously be thinking of going back out right now. Besides didn't you say you wanted to show me something?"

Unknown to Branch, Poppy was waging a mental war between her mind which was screaming for her to run,to ignore the storm and her own safety, and her heart which desperately wanted to stay with Branch and tell him everything.

All the times this had happened and she had been alone with no one to comfort her or help her through it. Not telling anyone out of fear of how they'd react to their happy go lucky queen being afraid of small spaces. They wouldn't understand. They hadn't been in the cage like her and Branch had been.

Her heart told her that Branch would understand and wouldn't judge. That it was okay to tell him but she was still too paralyzed by fear to actually open her mouth not to mention actually force sound out of her dry cracking throat.

She turned her helpless, pleading eyes on him in the hopes that he would somehow magically know what was wrong with her without her having to say anything out loud.

Poppy was firmly certain that if she actually managed to get her voice working enough to speak all that would come out was an unintelligent chorus of _**PleaseLetMeLeave IHaveToGetOut ICantStayHereRightNow PleaseMakeItStop PleasePleasePlease ICantBreath!**_

As if her last thought summoned it her breath left her body in one massive WOOSH and suddenly she couldn't get any air at all into her lungs. The last thing she remembered before everything went black was Branch's face set in a terrified expression as he lurched forward to try to catch her.

Branch was officially terrified out of his mind. One minute Poppy is looking at him with what he can only describe as pure terror, which sends freezing chills down his spine because he has absolutely no idea what caused it.

The next her eyes are pleading, pleading with him for something but he doesn't _UNDERSTAND_ and something inside him snaps to full attention because something is scaring her but he isn't seeing it no matter how much her eyes _BEG_ him to.

Then without warning and before he could react her eyes are rolling back into her head and she is falling as if she is boneless _lifeless,_ his mind is a scrambled screaming mess because _**NO! She Can't Be!**_ and it is all he can do to throw his body weight forward and try to catch her before she hits the floor.

By some miracle Branch managed to just barely slide his body between Poppy's falling one and the hard floor. With his body still recovering from the impact with the floor, his mind started tearing itself apart from fear for her life.

When he finally manages to make his body and mind act as one the first thing he does is shoots a shaking hand up to her throat to check her pulse. To this day Branch could honestly say he had never felt relief quite as potent as when he felt her pulse. Weak but there and that's all that mattered to him.

His entire body practically melted into the floor with it's relief once his mind acknowledged that her heart was still beating and she was breathing. Now that his mind wasn't overwhelmed with mind shattering panic he could think straight.

First thing he needed to do is find her a comfortable spot to lay while he tried to figure out what caused her to black out. Feeling one thousand times stronger now with adrenaline running freely through his veins he gently slid his still slightly quaking hands under her knees and her shoulders to slowly pick her up.

After balancing her against his chest and adjusting until he could walk without worry of dropping or injuring her, he began walking toward his room. The bed in there would be a good spot for her to lay down until she woke up and could hopefully explain what happened before.

Once he was standing outside his door he realised there was a problem. He couldn't open the door with both of his arms full of Poppy but he refused to put her down after the scare from earlier. He'd be surprised if she left his sight for the next week for the amount of worry she caused him.

After a few minutes of juggling he managed to shimmy the door open without disturbing his lover in his arms. Allowing himself a minute to be proud of that feat he then set to slowly and gently shifting her onto his bed and pulling the covers over her still form. His mind pitched in, "Too still. She's _never_ still."

Branch felt his panic sharply spike again. Before it could throw his mind through a loop again he lurched forward and put his ear on her chest to hear her heartbeat.

Once he had been reassured that she was still breathing fine he looked around for something for him to sit on so he could keep watch over her only to come up empty handed. Branch looked at the other side of the bed and immediately shook his head.

If they shared a bed it would be because Poppy willingly agreed and not when she was unconscious and couldn't voice her opinion on the matter. So seeing no other option Branch settled on his knees next to Poppy and laid his head on her chest in a position where he could not only hear her heartbeat but also feel her breath on the back of his ear.

Unable to make himself go to sleep he took hold of one of Poppy's hands, interlocked their fingers, and resolved to wait right where he was until she woke again.

Slowly Poppy came back to consciousness. At first there was only vague impressions of sounds until they started solidifying into more recognizable things. The most prominent being someone else's breathing and it was very close to her. If she didn't know any better she'd say it was right on top of her…

Feeling was coming back to her now and the very first thing that snared Poppy's attention was a weight on her chest right above her heart. It wasn't disturbing her in fact for some reason the weight was comforting. It didn't seem to intend to move anytime soon either.

A familiar scent wafted up from the weight, a foresty scent mixed with a deep earthen soil. Her mind knew that scent. She just couldn't remember who it belonged to. Poppy knew it was important, that whoever that scent belonged to was important but it was still slipping through her mind like water through her fingers.

Her curiosity fully ignited now she forced her eyes to open just enough to see what the weight was. The second her eyes landed on blue skin and dark blue hair it all clicked into place. Why the scent was familiar and why the weight was comforting.

It was Branch and he...was sleeping on her chest? Now confused, Poppy tried to sit up to survey the situation more only to come to the realisation that her body felt like cinder bricks were tying her to the bed. She could feel herself start to panic again with the new development of not being able to move. She must have made some kind of sound because Branch sat upright immediately.

Branch hadn't meant to fall asleep but he wasn't asleep for more than 30 minute he guesses from the lack of marks on his face from where he was lying against Poppy. His head swiveled around to check on her only to find what woke him.

Poppy's eyes were open a slit and looking right at him. She looked as exhausted as he felt but he was relieved to see that sickening terror wasn't in her eyes anymore. However now that he actually had the time to stop and look he could see the building panic in her eyes.

It kind of reminded him of himself whenever he started thinking too deeply about the Bergens… His groggy mind snapped awake as it pieced everything together. The terror in her eyes, how she was paralyzed at the door trying to run away, her blacking out, her eyes pleading with him to understand…

 _ **Of Course! How Could I Be So Stupid! She Was Having A Panic Attack! But What Set It Off?**_ Branch thought as he slowly stood to pop all the bones that are stiff from kneeling for so long. Only for him to freeze mid movement when Poppy, apparently under the impression that he was leaving, started desperately trying to move closer to him.

Seeing the panic building in her eyes he immediately sat next to her on the bed and after a minute of hesitation took her hand again and started stroking it to calm her down. It seemed to have the effect he was aiming for because she relaxed marginally. He was slightly relieved that she doesn't seem as scared now. Pride warmed Branch from the inside out to know that Poppy instinctually felt safe around him.

Poppy almost dropped into another panic attack when Branch went to stand but as soon as he sat back down next to her she understood that he had simply been stretching. Ashamed Poppy tried to avoid Branch's eyes as her own welled with embarrassed tears.

Branch seeing the tears started to panic, "Are you okay? Why did I ask that? You're crying of course you're not okay! Are you in pain? Are you having another panic attack? Is there anything I can do to help?!" Poppy, shocked at his worried ramble, squeezed his hand to gain his attention.

Once she had it she tried to speak through her dry and hurting throat. After a few failures and a dozen swallows she managed to whisper, "I'm sorry."

Branch, now thoroughly confused as well as worried asked, "What are you sorry for? If it's about you using the bed I don't mind. It'll probably smell like you now. Wait that sounded creepy didn't it?! I just meant that you have a very comforting scent and that if my bed smelled like it I'd have no problems going to sleep. And I am not making this any better am I?"

Branch broke off mid-ramble to blush deep violet and put a hand on his face to muffle his groan. Poppy, seeing his blush and hearing his adorable ramble, giggled and croaked out, "It's fine. You smell good too. It's not the bed although I'm sorry about that too, kneeling couldn't have been comfortable. I'm sorry you had to see me like that." Poppy looked down as she finished explaining. Branch, now understanding why she apologized, immediately started shaking his head vigorously back and forth.

"No! Poppy, never apologize for this. This isn't something you can control. Don't hesitate to come to me if you're ever feeling anxious or just want to be away from everything. You can take a nap on my bed if you want. Don't you remember what I sang to you? Just call me up and I will always be there. I meant it then and I mean it now. If you need anything, even if it's just a hug or someone to vent to I am here. Isn't that what relationships are? Two trolls who rely on each other when they need to?"

As Branch finished his reassurances Poppy, with tears in fogging her eyes, replied, "Okay. I'll come to you but only if you do the same. Deal?" Branch smiled and held his hand out for a handshake, "Deal." Poppy looked at the hand and let loose an impish smile. "I know of a better way to seal a deal."

Branch raised one of his eyebrows, "Oh? And what is that?" as he retracted his hand. Poppy ushered him closer and once he obeyed she rallied all of her strength into pushing her torso up and wrapped her arms around Branch's neck pulling them both back onto the bed. Before Branch can pull away all flustered Poppy jumped forward and kissed him.

Branch froze solid for a good two minutes. His mind fighting to comprehend what was going on. Slowly it dawned on him that Poppy was kissing him and he wasn't reciprocating so he gently pressed back. Not knowing what to do he tried to follow Poppy's lead.

Poppy, understanding this, pulled him closer still so he was kneeling over her for easier access for kisses. Using his arms on either side of her head to brace himself above her he lowered himself until they were a hair's width between their lips. This time Poppy waited for him to start it. And start it he did only much slower than Poppy.

He took his time as if he expected this to be the last time he would ever experience this. Slowly memorizing everything about the moment, Poppy's unique taste, her scent, her touch, everything ingraining into his memory so he can replay it whenever he wanted. After a languid few minutes they reluctantly parted.

Even now Branch could still see a faint spark of panic in her eyes. Even though he didn't want to, he asked, "What happened earlier? I know something set you into a panic attack and a bad one by the looks of it. If you don't want to talk about it that's fine. I understand. I just want to know how I can help you through it."

Poppy thought hard about it before lifting herself up until she was sitting. Branch moved forward, "You shouldn't be moving yet. If you don't want to answer that's fine." Poppy finally having gotten herself into a sitting position turned to Branch and said, "I don't mind telling you but I have one request."

Branch tilted his head curiously and nodded his head in the universal sign of proceed. Poppy flushed a bit, "Can I lean against you for this conversation? I really just want to be held right now." By the end of the sentence she was flushed an even brighter pink than normal. Branch flushed violet again before answering, "That is fine by me. I actually prefer you to be close for a bit. You really scared me."

Branch shifted until he was behind Poppy and pulled her so she was sitting between his legs with his arms wrapped around her and his head resting languidly on her shoulder.

Poppy wiggled back into him until she found her comfy spot with her head leaned against his chest where she could listen to his heart. Now as comfortable as she was going to get for this conversation she let out a content sigh before answering.

"I didn't realise that your bunker's rooms were so small. This has happened a few times before. It started that day in the Trollstice Pot. Now if I'm in a small room I will start to panic. It's happened a few times but I managed to hide it from the others. Thankfully. They wouldn't know what to do. I'm embarrassed that you had to see me like that but I'm glad it was you. You've always been my hero in the past so why not now?"

After hearing his newly dubbed nickname Branch smiled a shy smile down at Poppy. "Your hero huh? I can get use to that title." Poppy's smile fell as she took a deep breath, "Branch I still feel scared. Can we please leave? I don't know how much more I can take. I'm exhausted and I really just want to go find a secluded spot outside and cuddle for a week. Please?"

Branch hating hearing Poppy sound so weak and defenseless and he hated even more that he couldn't do anything about it because the storm was still raging outside so they couldn't leave yet. A quiet whisper at the very back of his mind said it was worth the risk if it wiped the fear from her expression, but he couldn't listen to that whisper as much as he wanted to.

He'd never forgive himself if Poppy got sick out in the downpour. He met Poppy's pleading eyes with great difficulty and answered, "I'm sorry Poppy. We can't leave yet. It is still too dangerous for us to go outside. You've already been out in it once and I'm not sure if you'll be sick from it. If you go back out in it and you are already sick you could make your condition much worse. I know that you're scared but please think of how I'd feel if you got pneumonia or the flu? I'd be lost if something happened to you. " Branch wrapped her tighter into his arms, trying to chase off her demons and fears in the only way he was able at the moment.

He felt sickeningly guilty that Poppy was terrified of being in his bunker and he couldn't let her leave until it was safe to do so. Watching his Poppy be sick with anxiety and fighting off a panic attack while he could do nothing about it but try to comfort her by holding her as close as physically possible made his heart rage at the unfairness of it all.

That she had to suffer like this when under different circumstances this could easily be fixed. That right now he was absolutely helpless to do anything for the love of his life who had done so much for him.

It made frustration boil in the pit of his stomach while slowly making it's way through his veins with every beat of his heart. Right then and there Branch made a vow to himself. He would help Poppy through this in whatever way he could and every time in the future when Poppy needed him he would help in whatever way she permitted him to. She would never have to face this alone again if Branch had any say in it and he was set and determined that he did.

Poppy shuddered at the thought of being stuck underground for any longer but understood the logic behind it. The thought of Branch turning grey again if something happened to her made her feel physically sick to her stomach. He needed her to be healthy and strong for him because he loved her just as she loved him and if she put herself into his position she would be devastated if anything happened to him.

So with that thought in mind she took a deep breath through her nose and held it in her lungs until she had to release it. She slowly released the breath and repeated the process until she was breathing almost normally. Feeling the panic still bubbling away in her stomach she turned her body so she was sitting sideways on Branch's lap with her legs hanging over the bed and she replaced her head back onto his chest to listen to his heartbeat.

She found if she focused entirely on his heartbeat and the sound of his breathing she could almost completely block everything else outside of their little bubble and right now that is exactly what she needed.

Branch, who had gone very still the second that Poppy started shifting in the effort to not knock her off accidentally, wrapped his arms around her again. Only after lifting her up and placing her more securely in the middle of his now crossed legs did he rest his chin on top of her head and breathed in the scent of her hair.

It was an odd mix of some flowery smell and some kind of baked good that mixed together was just Poppy. A chill swept through the room making Poppy shiver harshly against Branch. Noticing this he immediately scanned the room for a warm blanket. After only finding the one that was on his bed he shifted to pull it off the mattress only for Poppy to start squirming worriedly thinking he was leaving.

"It's alright. I'm just getting the comforter off to wrap around you. I'm use to the cold down here but you aren't and you don't need any added stress until this is over and you've gotten at least 8 hours of sleep." Branch soothingly explained as he succeeded in pulling the comforter off with only one of his arms what with the other still being snugly wrapped around Poppy.

Now with his prize in hand, he tried to shift his torso away from Poppy enough to slip the blanket between them. Key word being tried, Poppy adamantly refused to be separated from the source of heartbeat even for a moment.

Branch heaved a sigh and tried to talk sense into her, "Poppy, I'm only trying to wrap the blanket around you. It'll only take a minute to slip around you. Can't you let go for just a minute? You'll be a lot warmer." His answer was for her to bury her face further into his chest and shake her head side to side.

As if to make her point that she wasn't moving anytime soon she wrapped her arms even tighter around his middle. Branch heaved a tired sigh, but stopped trying to separate her from his chest. Relaxing back onto the wall behind his bed he settled down to try to find a way to wrap her in the blanket without removing her from her chosen perch.

After a few minute of a shivering Poppy in his lap that refused to be wrapped in the blanket an idea struck him. He shimmied his arm out of its spot around Poppy and wiggled it under her dangling legs. Once he was sure he had a secure hold on her he lifted her legs so they were curled up with the rest of her body in his lap.

Poppy unburied herself enough to look up at him curiously only for understanding to dawn when he used his still free arm to wrap the blanket around the both of them and tucked the edge under Poppy's chin. Then he returned his arm under the cocoon to wrap back around her shoulders which was quickly becoming that arms normal place.

Feeling the blanket trapping both her and Branch's body heat around her had her instantly feeling warm and toasty all the way from her hair to her toes. Poppy shot a weaker version of her normal beaming smile up at Branch as she nestled back into the new cocoon blanket he had made around them.

Once he saw that Poppy was warm and relaxed he rested his head against hers and prepared himself for what was probably going to be a few more hours of wait time until the storm was over.

When morning rolled around it found the two still wrapped in their blanket cocoon although at some point in the night Branch had slid from his sitting position into a lying position with Poppy still firmly stuck to his chest. The blankets which just last night had resembled a tight and cozy cocoon now resembled a loose nest wrapping around their twined bodies.

Slowly Branch blinked his tired eyes in the attempt to drag himself full into the land of the waking. The first and most dominant thought he had was that he was both very warm to the border of being sweltering and that he had just gotten the single best night of sleep he had since his grandma was taken by a burgen those many years ago.

A sudden shifting on top of him led his attention to the reason for both the good rest and the extra warmth that he could definitely get use to. Poppy, whose hair was now messed and sticking up in every which way, looked like she hadn't twitched from her position right over his heart once the entire night. An impressive feat as she was usually a restless sleeper, or so she had been on the night they camped outside of the troll tree.

Branch took a good long look at Poppy sprawled out on top of him looking for all the world like he was the best mattress in the world. As he watched her a thought squeezed into his mind and made itself at home, " _I could get use to this."_ After thinking it the thought refused to be uprooted from its new home front and center in Branch's brain.

Waking up to Poppy like this every morning, sleeping entangled with her all night, being the only one to see the usually put together and collected Queen in the early hours of the morning, these were all thoughts that crossed his mind as Branch worked himself up to waking her up. Each thought bringing with it a mental image that was too sweet to ignore, each picture filling him with an unfamiliar longing for something he had never even dreamed possible.

That one little thought opened a whole new world of possible opportunities to Branch and all he would have to do is ask Poppy one simple question. Well it wouldn't be that simple he knew. If they did move in together he would have to leave his bunker behind. He would never ask her to live here when it causes her the amount of panic it does.

Maybe he could turn it into storage space for the village's stock of supplies? Not to mention he had been living alone for 20 years now, would he grow tired with Poppy's chipperness and closeness? Just as that thought started to darken his excited thoughts Poppy shifted again and released a comfortable sigh along with a single happy hummed word, "Branch".

When she said his name like that it was all Branch could to not to spontaneously combust from all of his blood rushing to his cheeks in the biggest blush he had ever felt and his heart feeling like it was expanding to fit his entire ribcage wasn't helping his situation. In that instant

Branch realised that he would never be tired of Poppy and the fear that he might was too ridiculous a notion to consider. In that instant, Branch realised that this moment was the single best moment of his life and if the price to pay for seeing this moment every day was giving up his personal space then so be it.

It was more than a fair tradeoff for the gift he would be receiving each and every morning and that's not even factoring in the many amazing moments they would have along the way. Yes moving in together was an amazing idea. Now the important question. How will he ask Poppy?

The day Branch decided the best sight he had ever seen was Poppy in the morning intertwined with him was the day he resolved to ask to move in together so he could see his favorite sight every morning every day for the rest of his life.

BAWV: And voila! It is done and in a weeks time too! Alright guys I hope you enjoyed it and as always I hope to hear from you. Cyber HighFive!


End file.
